St Clares Pre School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Lache for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 17:30, 5 days a week. £39.00 a day, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2024. Open since 1984, with 32 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Full day | Session | Hourly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | £39.00 | £18.00Half day | £6.00 |
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
Some children may be eligible for universal funding from the age of two. Two year olds from working families may be entitled to up to 30 hours of funded childcare. From the age of three, all children are entitled to at least 15 hours of funded childcare per week. Some families may also qualify for up to 30 hours of extended funding.
Worth knowing. We do not have any additional charges for consumables, resources or top up fees.
What childcare usually costs in Cheshire West and Chester
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Cheshire West and Chester from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
CH4 8HXWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 26 November 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children attending this pre-school arrive with smiles on their faces. They quickly settle to the range of resources and opportunities available to them within the indoor and outdoor environment. Staff know children well. They talk to children about their families and engage in thoughtful conversations with them. This helps children to feel happy and secure.
Children are curious and, on the whole, they demonstrate high levels of engagement. Staff interactions during play are of consistently high quality. This supports the implementation of the well-planned curriculum. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make good progress in their learning. Staff place a strong focus on supporting children's behaviour and attitudes. They take the time to explain to children how to manage their feelings and use visual prompts to support children to develop their understanding of rules and boundaries. This supports children's good behaviour.
Children have lots of freedom to explore the outdoor environment. They are taught about, and practise how to manage, appropriate risks in their play. For example, they balance on beams and play on the see-saw in pairs, delighting as they move up and down. This helps children to increase their understanding of how to keep themselves safe.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the organisation of group times so that all children's learning needs are met precisely.
- 26 November 2024Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 9 January 2019Good
- 10 March 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Clares Pre School
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £39.00 a day still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.